Passengers owed 413 million in flight delays compensation in 2017 in the US

Last updated on February 1, 2018

AirHelp, the number one flight delays compensation company, has identified that over 584,000 United States passengers have been eligible to claim approximately $413,000,000 in the US due to flight delays and cancellations in 2017.

Based on this year’s AirHelp Score, which is calculated utilizing on-time performance data, quality of service, and claim processing, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines were rated as 29, 33 and 45 respectively in a global ranking of airline companies.

Due to a high percentage of flights being delayed and cancelled, Leonardo da Vinci – Fiumicino Airport was the most disrupted international destination for passengers flying from the United States this year

NEW YORK (December 18, 2017) – Today, AirHelp, the number one flight delays compensation company, has revealed that over 584,000 US passengers have been affected by flight cancellations and severe delays of three hours or more. AirHelp has calculated that the passengers are eligible to claim over $413,000,000 in compensation in 2017.

The busiest travel month in the United States in 2017 was July, unsurprisingly falling on a busy month for tourism. Based on the percentage of disrupted international flights departing from airports around the United States, Leonardo da Vinci – Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy experienced the highest volume of flight disruptions, with London City Airport following closely behind.

As the 2017 AirHelp Score unveiled earlier this year, airports in the United States are considered as some of the worst in the world with Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) falling into the worst global airports for their quality and service and the number of delayed flights throughout the period.

Henrik Zillmer, CEO of AirHelp comments: “2017 has been an interesting year for air passenger travel, particularly in the US with overbooked flights and cancellations making national headlines month after month. The consistent mistreatment of U.S. consumers paired with the recent decision by the Department of Transportation to scrap a proposal mandating airlines to be transparent about their fees, means it is more important than ever for consumers to fight for their air passenger rights.

“In the event of a delayed or cancelled flight, passengers may be legally entitled to receive up to $700 in compensation fees from airlines. However, despite this less than 2% of travelers will file for this compensation, not knowing that they are eligible.

“We urge passengers who may have been affected by delays or cancellations this year to read up on their rights to ensure that they’re not missing out on the compensation that they’re legally entitled to. At AirHelp, our mission is to help passengers get the compensation that they rightfully deserve.”

Air passengers who have experienced a delayed or cancelled flight can check their eligibility for compensation on the go, and make a claim in a matter of minutes through the free AirHelp mobile app, available for iOS and Android.

About AirHelp

AirHelp is the world’s leading flight delays compensation company, helping passengers apply for compensation following a delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight. Since the business was founded in 2013, AirHelp has helped more than five million travelers process airline compensation claims worth more than £300 million in total reimbursement. AirHelp has offices in five cities across Europe, Asia and North America and is available in 30 countries, offering support in 16 languages. The business employs more than 500 employees worldwide.

AirHelp methodology:

AirHelp has the most reliable and most accurate collection of flight data in the world due to their consumption of so many data sources. Their database aggregates multiple data points from a variety of reliable sources such as government agencies, airport databanks, flight-tracking vendors, historical resources and commercial data brokers.

AirHelp are therefore able to maintain an accurate, real-time picture of flight disruptions occurring across the globe, the circumstances around these disruptions and the likelihood of further disruptions occurring.